car help ! (get new or repair ?)

[givingtnt]

I need help, I need to figure out if I should get a new (used) car, or keep repairing (or trying to keep alive) my 2004 aerio

idk what I should do. I give myself arount untill july, but in that time I might have to do some repairs and idk if I should or not.

 

here's a few things I know I need to do : 

oil change (I do regardless)
transmision fluid change (required if I don't want it to fail, its already lagging a lot bewtene gears. its been at least 7 years since the last one...)
transmition and direction fluid leak (small leaks, the gaskets need to be changed as they dried out. but they are pretty weirdly placed and would require a flush.)

and I got some bumpers being really loos, the side things on the wheels are falling apart. I need to fix that or it will just fall off.

priciest of all : Catalityc converter.
the damn thing is ratteling like crazy, and its rust welded. I don't think I could change it myself.

 

 

 

fun fact : the whole underside of the car looks like that

also, if I would do all that, might as well try to repair the AC

[dalekphalm]

14 minutes ago, givingtnt said:

I need help, I need to figure out if I should get a new (used) car, or keep repairing (or trying to keep alive) my 2004 aerio

idk what I should do. I give myself arount untill july, but in that time I might have to do some repairs and idk if I should or not.

 

here's a few things I know I need to do : 

oil change (I do regardless)
transmision fluid change (required if I don't want it to fail, its already lagging a lot bewtene gears. its been at least 7 years since the last one...)
transmition and direction fluid leak (small leaks, the gaskets need to be changed as they dried out. but they are pretty weirdly placed and would require a flush.)

and I got some bumpers being really loos, the side things on the wheels are falling apart. I need to fix that or it will just fall off.

priciest of all : Catalityc converter.
the damn thing is ratteling like crazy, and its rust welded. I don't think I could change it myself.

 

 

 

 

fun fact : the whole underside of the car looks like that

also, if I would do all that, might as well try to repair the AC

How much, if anything, would you be repairing yourself, vs what you'd need a mechanic to do?

 

I would start by pricing out all the parts you suspect you'll need. Then look at the stuff you'd need a mechanic to do, and estimate the cost of those repairs.

 

Look at the total figures, and then compare that to buying another car.

 

I assume you don't keep up with regular maintenance, if the car hasn't had a transmission flush in over 7 years?

[givingtnt]

22 minutes ago, dalekphalm said:

How much, if anything, would you be repairing yourself, vs what you'd need a mechanic to do?

 

I would start by pricing out all the parts you suspect you'll need. Then look at the stuff you'd need a mechanic to do, and estimate the cost of those repairs.

 

Look at the total figures, and then compare that to buying another car.

 

I assume you don't keep up with regular maintenance, if the car hasn't had a transmission flush in over 7 years?

Well the car has been handed over to me 2-3 years ago. And I didn't have a job, so mostly money for gas.

 

Most of the work would need to be done by a mechanic.

 

[dalekphalm]

13 minutes ago, givingtnt said:

Well the car has been handed over to me 2-3 years ago. And I didn't have a job, so mostly money for gas.

 

Most of the work would need to be done by a mechanic.

 

How many miles does the car have on it? On my car (2014 Jetta), you're supposed to replace the fluid every 120,000 KM (roughly 75,000 Miles). For me, that's about 3-ish years of driving (car is 2.5 years old and has 60,000 KM).

 

Understandable that if you didn't have a job, all your money would go into gas.

 

I cannot say whether it would be more cost effective to fix or replace, but given that the car didn't keep up with regular maintenance, it probably has a host of other issues that will likely start to crop up soon. The rust isn't a good sign. How rusted is the rest of your exhaust? Replacing the exhaust can be pretty expensive. Even a cheaper job will likely cost $300+ if they need to replace the whole exhaust system.

 

I would suggest buying a newer car, but making sure that you set aside money to properly follow the regular maintenance schedule starting the day you get it. Make sure the car isn't due for any major repairs before you buy it (Make sure they already do the required repairs/service, or factor it into a discount if they don't). Changing the oil is only one small part of regular maintenance. Other things, like replacing cabin air filter, replacing spark plugs, breaks, transmission fluid change/flush, etc, should not be left until they're causing performance issues.

 

Buying a cheap old car and running it into the ground with minimal maintenance is certainly a way to do it, but sooner or later that starts to end up costing more, and you'll never want to do this with a nice car.

[Monkey Dust]

It's a tough call. Sometimes it's better to fix up a car you know, rather than gamble on another used car, which could be worse. But then again there is a lot of labour in replacing gaskets, combined with the cat, it's a lot of money to throw at an old, undesirable, car. Since you admit you haven't really taken care of it, I'd lean towards replacing it.

[givingtnt]

4 hours ago, dalekphalm said:

How many miles does the car have on it? On my car (2014 Jetta), you're supposed to replace the fluid every 120,000 KM (roughly 75,000 Miles). For me, that's about 3-ish years of driving (car is 2.5 years old and has 60,000 KM).

 

Understandable that if you didn't have a job, all your money would go into gas.

 

I cannot say whether it would be more cost effective to fix or replace, but given that the car didn't keep up with regular maintenance, it probably has a host of other issues that will likely start to crop up soon. The rust isn't a good sign. How rusted is the rest of your exhaust? Replacing the exhaust can be pretty expensive. Even a cheaper job will likely cost $300+ if they need to replace the whole exhaust system.

 

I would suggest buying a newer car, but making sure that you set aside money to properly follow the regular maintenance schedule starting the day you get it. Make sure the car isn't due for any major repairs before you buy it (Make sure they already do the required repairs/service, or factor it into a discount if they don't). Changing the oil is only one small part of regular maintenance. Other things, like replacing cabin air filter, replacing spark plugs, breaks, transmission fluid change/flush, etc, should not be left until they're causing performance issues.

 

Buying a cheap old car and running it into the ground with minimal maintenance is certainly a way to do it, but sooner or later that starts to end up costing more, and you'll never want to do this with a nice car.

98176 miles, its really low

 

Something is shaking, but its hard to tell.

 

The whole underside is pretty much as rusted as the picture, not all as bad but pretty much.

[captain_to_fire]

It's a tough call. We still have an old Ford Lynx in our garage. It was pre used and we bought it in 2011. It served us for a long time but it requires frequent repairs. In 2014, we spend something to the equivalent of PHP 120,000/$2400. The frequent overheating alone frustrated us so we bought a brand new Honda Civic instead. 

[givingtnt]

24 minutes ago, hey_yo_ said:

It's a tough call. We still have an old Ford Lynx in our garage. It was pre used and we bought it in 2011. It served us for a long time but it requires frequent repairs. In 2014, we spend something to the equivalent of $120,000. The frequent overheating alone frustrated us so we bought a brand new Honda Civic instead. 

That's where I don't want to end up, but the car is great tho, low gas, AWD, it works great, I don't really have anything stopping the car, but its getting there.

Im currently looking at 2013 ford fusions for the replacement, around 10 000$ cad, 

[captain_to_fire]

11 minutes ago, givingtnt said:

That's where I don't want to end up, but the car is great tho, low gas, AWD, it works great, I don't really have anything stopping the car, but its getting there.

Im currently looking at 2013 ford fusions for the replacement, around 10 000$ cad, 

Oh god. I got the currencies wrong. We spend PHP 120,000 which is roughly $2400 for repair in 2014. 

[Monte_Carlo]

Sell it, and get a new car.  Suzuki no longer has a market presence in the auto market in US or Canada from the looks of it.  If your entire underside of the car looks like a the carcass of Detroit, it's not even worth attempting a fix.  Chances are your suspension is probably in extremely poor shape potentially making the car unsafe at any speed.  

 

I'd say the catalytic converter is the least of your problems.  If it can pass an emissions test, it's fine.  Transmissions though are a more pressing issue.  If it's already on it's way out, that's going to cost you more than the car is worth when it finally goes.  For the love of god, when you do get a new car.  Do try to keep up with preventative maintenance items such as fluid changes and in this case undercarriage washing.  Otherwise in a few years time you'll find yourself in exactly the same position. 

 

 

[klh2000]

11 minutes ago, Monte_Carlo said:

Sell it, and get a new car.  Suzuki no longer has a market presence in the auto market in US or Canada from the looks of it.  If your entire underside of the car looks like a the carcass of Detroit, it's not even worth attempting a fix.  Chances are your suspension is probably in extremely poor shape potentially making the car unsafe at any speed.  

 

I'd say the catalytic converter is the least of your problems.  If it can pass an emissions test, it's fine.  Transmissions though are a more pressing issue.  If it's already on it's way out, that's going to cost you more than the car is worth when it finally goes.  For the love of god, when you do get a new car.  Do try to keep up with preventative maintenance items such as fluid changes and in this case undercarriage washing.  Otherwise in a few years time you'll find yourself in exactly the same position. 

 

 

If you want to see bad rust on cars, come on over to upstate New York, the winters ruin every vehicle on the road. They LOVE to use rock salt on the roads. Even if it is just raining, they will be out salting.

[givingtnt]

46 minutes ago, Monte_Carlo said:

Sell it, and get a new car.  Suzuki no longer has a market presence in the auto market in US or Canada from the looks of it.  If your entire underside of the car looks like a the carcass of Detroit, it's not even worth attempting a fix.  Chances are your suspension is probably in extremely poor shape potentially making the car unsafe at any speed.  

 

I'd say the catalytic converter is the least of your problems.  If it can pass an emissions test, it's fine.  Transmissions though are a more pressing issue.  If it's already on it's way out, that's going to cost you more than the car is worth when it finally goes.  For the love of god, when you do get a new car.  Do try to keep up with preventative maintenance items such as fluid changes and in this case undercarriage washing.  Otherwise in a few years time you'll find yourself in exactly the same position. 

 

 

It doesn't pass emmision tests, the honeycomb is ratteling around inside the case, and its 100% clogged up.

 

Half the gas comes out from that aera of the pipe, its leaking a lot.

[givingtnt]

4 hours ago, Monte_Carlo said:

Sell it, and get a new car.  Suzuki no longer has a market presence in the auto market in US or Canada from the looks of it.  If your entire underside of the car looks like a the carcass of Detroit, it's not even worth attempting a fix.  Chances are your suspension is probably in extremely poor shape potentially making the car unsafe at any speed.  

 

I'd say the catalytic converter is the least of your problems.  If it can pass an emissions test, it's fine.  Transmissions though are a more pressing issue.  If it's already on it's way out, that's going to cost you more than the car is worth when it finally goes.  For the love of god, when you do get a new car.  Do try to keep up with preventative maintenance items such as fluid changes and in this case undercarriage washing.  Otherwise in a few years time you'll find yourself in exactly the same position. 

 

 

It doesn't pass emmision tests, the honeycomb is ratteling around inside the case, and its 100% clogged up.

 

Half the gas comes out from that aera of the pipe, its leaking a lot

[givingtnt]

4 hours ago, klh2000 said:

If you want to see bad rust on cars, come on over to upstate New York, the winters ruin every vehicle on the road. They LOVE to use rock salt on the roads. Even if it is just raining, they will be out salting.

M8 I live in canada, my car has never been treated for rust (surprisingly its no where on the outside bumers n stuff. Just on mecanical parts.